First Fridays serve as a great excuse to unplug from routine to gather with friends at the end of a work week. Free music and the availability of a cool beverage provide an informal, 3-hour backdrop where adults can re-connect, kids are always welcomed, and Olde Towne's restaurants beckon. While "Concerts in the Courtyard" take place under the live oaks of the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center's historic brick outdoor garden, they move indoors behind PACC's gift shop when inclement weather interferes. This year, rainy May weather required that we reach out to Olde Towne partner Roger Brown's Restaurant and

The Portsmouth Partnership's First Friday Courtyard Concert series is entering its seventh consecutive year of operation, continuing to draw people of all ages to the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center's historic, tree-lined brick courtyard at the corner of Court and High Streets. Once again, from March through October, visitors of all ages will enjoy live music along with light breezes, afternoon shade, and PACC's two floors' worth of innovative and ever-changing art exhibits. All beverage donations will continue to benefit the Portsmouth Museums Foundation. And . . . as always, Olde Towne's many restaurants beckon, all within a short walking distance. See

While the Lefcoe Leadership Class of 2017’s time together has officially come to a close, its best qualities will live on for years to come: friendships will endure, mutual efforts will be shared, the Lefcoe Alumni Association will take on new, energetic members and, last but not least, the kids who play baseball and football at the Churchland Little League facility will enjoy improved facilities and a significantly upgraded concession stand. Since the income from concession sales produces a huge chunk of the Leagues’ annual income, this is a very big deal. Parents and volunteers who staff the concession stand

The Lefcoe Board of Trustees is now accepting applications for the Class of 2017. DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION HERE The Vann H. Lefcoe Leadership Development Fund is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify and pre pare individuals for leadership roles in the City of Portsmouth. The course was founded in memory of Vann H. Lefcoe by the Trustees of the Lefcoe Foundation. Since our inception in 1997, we have sponsored twenty leadership courses, graduating 480 individuals who serve our community in various capacities including serving on City Commissions and actively participating in civic organizations. Mr. Don Comer

For six years now the Portsmouth Partnership's First Friday Courtyard Concert series has drawn people of all ages to the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center's historic, tree-lined brick courtyard at the corner of Court and High Streets. And, most of the time, guests have enjoyed light breezes, afternoon shade, and an opportunity to view PACC's two floors' worth of innovative and ever-changing art exhibits. But last year and, again in 2016, First Friday events have seen more rain than sunshine. What to do? Small groups, and solo musicians like Matt Thomas or Lewis McGehee, have simply moved indoors to PACC's

A visitor to Olde Towne Portsmouth can immediately see that the city’s original planners got it right: Lay the city out in a logical grid with a wide main street (High Street), an occasional less-wide cross street (Court and Washington Streets), with all remaining streets narrow, quaint, and shady. What has been less obvious – until today, at least – is that the 103 original squares formed by cross streets had names. Some even had names which were linked to their purpose. Church Square? Home of Trinity Episcopal Church. Market Square? That was the Kroger of its day. Courthouse Square?

The graduation of the Vann H. Lefcoe Leadership Fund's class of 2016 marked the 20th anniversary of the Portsmouth Partnership affiliate's 12-week leadership program. To mark the occasion, Lefcoe trustees invited all alumni plus the speakers and presenters who have made the program possible to an April 13 gathering at Roger Brown's Restaurant and Sports Bar, where TowneBank Chairman and CEO Bob Aston addressed the group. Since its launch in 1997, the program has seen 480 individuals of all ages and all walks of life pass through its doors, each gaining a taste for volunteer service and a greater understanding

All too often, boys arrive at the Tidewater Youth Services Foundation's Westhaven Boys' Home with only the clothes on their backs. To address this, and to complement the support and treatment rendered by TYS, the Lefcoe Leadership class of 2016 is purchasing individual backpacks, each stuffed with clothing and personal items for each of the home's young residents. Additionally, the '16 class is scheduling several mentoring sessions, plus an event or two that'll be just plain fun. To fund this project, the class is hosting a fund-raising event at Roger Brown's in Olde Towne on Saturday, February 27, from 7

When you disembark from the Elizabeth River Ferry at the foot of High Street, one of the first sights to greet you as you head up High Street is Portsmouth’s own Colonel Crawford (actually, a statue of him) standing guard before the TowneBank building at the corner of Crawford and High. You might say that his figure marks the "starting block" of the path toward pedestrian-friendly Olde Towne’s many restaurants and shops. But now there’s more: on the second floor of the Colonel’s building you’ll now find the new space made available to Portsmouth entrepreneurs whose big ideas needn’t be